Le Creuset Stoneware and Le Creuset Cookware Sets Essentials

My mom is a great cook. As I grew up watching her cook I paid attention to what she did so that I would be able to copy her and hopefully learn to do it as good as she could. My mom had a lot of different mismatched cookware, many pieces were passed down by my great-grandma. She had a silver pot (and still uses it but I am not even sure what it was made of, steel maybe?) that she would always use to boil the noodles for spaghetti in instead of a stock pot. She would save her blue Le Creuset Stoneware for the meat sauce. When I got old enough to cook by myself I loved every opportunity to pull that pot out. It made me feel like a real cook and I knew some day I would have to have them in my own home and pass the tradition down to my family.
So when I graduated from college and went to move out truly on my own (without roommates) the first thing I got was my 1st very own Le Creuset Oval Oven, except instead of blue I opted for a yellow one. I was also able to get the crock for my cooking utensils, some spatulas and a trivet, all in yellow. Unfortunately, like most started out, I didn’t have very much money so I couldn’t get all the Le Creuset Stoneware at once, but I've enjoyed adding to it over the years and it will be fun to add to in years to come.

Le Creuset is a French cookware company founded in 1925 in France. They are well known, like fiestaware, for their colorful assortment of enameled cast iron pots and pans. They are long lasting and durable cookware pieces that even come with a lifetime warranty, it doesn't get much better than that. 

Whatever type of cooking pan or pot that you are looking for you can find, from stock pots to casserole dishes. They also make spatulas, cooking utensil holders, prep bowls and trivets. These are 4 things that I think are essential for everyone's le creuset stoneware collection.

Each stoneware piece can be bought seperately or you can  just get one of the Le Creuset Cookware sets. One fun thing to do is to mix and match all of the different colors if you don't want to buy the full cookware sets. The colors are beautiful and you can serve your food with pride knowing you won't have to worry about serving your guests using ugly plain dishes or putting all of the food into a different serving dish. I will talk about some individual pieces first and save the complete cookware sets for the end of the post.

Ok, I admit this made the top of the list because I am partial to it since it was my very first Le Creuset purchase and it is in yellow or citrus or dijon whatever they are calling it these days but you can get it in whatever color you prefer! You could use this and the round oven interchangeably but it really just depends on which you prefer. While trying to purchase all of the things I needed for my new apartment I came across an outlet that was a Le Creuset outlet and I was in heaven! I didn't know they have outlet stores.

I've found it still is just like my mom's and works just as great. The workmanship and craftmanship is just as durable as it ever was. They are really heavy but that is the case with most cast iron cookware and they are even heavier after you add the food you are cooking but that is to be expected.  Just be careful when you pull these out of the oven.  I know I have underestimate the weight.  I like to use this for sunday pot roasts and homemade beef stew but there are a whole lot of different things you can cook in them.

The round french ovens are perfect for just about anything. Probably a little better for soups and roasts like I enjoy making and eating. This is also what my mom used to make her spaghetti meat sauce and some of our other favorite dishes growing up. She still has the same piece and it is plugging along after 25 plus years. It's one of those things I can always expect when I go home to visit.

The round shape is probably the most one of the most popular le creuset dishes since it is what almost all their cookware sets include it but it doesn't mean you have to. If you would like the oval or another shape by all means use another shape. A round dutch oven does has the advantage of being a little wider than an oval dutch oven, so think about what you will be cooking and if a more narrow pot will be what works best for your recipes.

Depending on how much you cook at a time you can get either the 5 1/2 qt or the 7 qt, either will work great. These will last forever so you don't have to worry about having to replace them every few years like you do with some cheap cookware. 

A skillet is always an essential item for any kitchen. Its used for eggs, browning meat, sauteing onions and vegetables etc. and cast Iron ones are perfect for pancakes and even flour tortillas (yep, I make my own). The reason they work so well is because they evenly distribute heat to the entire part of the pan whereas other ones the heat radiates to the middle making your food cook unevenly. Another nice feature about these are that they have 2 pouring spouts. If you are browning beef you can just pour the juices and grease out easily and not worry about it making a big mess.

They are offered in lots of sizes so you can get more than one depending on what you want to use it for or maybe you just want a bigger one that will be able to cook both large and small items. Smaller ones are good for pancakes and bigger ones for those hashbrowns you make for breakfast or for a nice breakfast skillet. The 9 inch skillet is the standard side that comes in their cookware sets. These skillets have also been recommended by the NY Times.

Everyone needs small saucepans to simmering or to make gravy for their mashed potatoes or oatmeal for breakfast.  You can also get them with the precision pour spout which makes it easier if you want to save it in a tupperware container without scooping it out with a serving utensil although if you really wanted to you could put the pot itself in the fridge too since it comes with a good tight lid to keep air out. Make sure you let it cool down before putting it in the fridge though.

It can be fun but also a hassel to pick out every single piece of cookware. You might not have the patience or know exactly what you want.  If you don't want to go through the hassle of picking out individual pieces to make your own customized Le Cresuset Cookware set the easiest thing to do is to buy the whole cookware set at the same time. There are plenty of options in terms of both size and type of pots and pans.  There are multiple options and some that are a better match for cookware and others are better if you are looking for bakeware.

There are 5 piece, 6 piece, 9 piece and 20 piece cookware sets. When you get these enameled cast iron sets they will all be the same color which is what most people want because they are all matching but If you wanted to add some flare you can spice it up later by getting a saucepan or griddle or even a casserole dish in a different color. I like to do this and get a lot of compliments.  Just make sure you choose complimentary colors. Its good to stick to just a couple so its not too busy.